


Once an Unwitting Test Subject, Always an Unwitting Test Subject

by Denizen_of_Dreamland



Category: Persona 5, Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Splatoon Fusion, Amnesia, Fantasy Racism, Fluff, Gen, Gen or Pre-Relationship, He/Him and They/Them Pronouns for Maruki Takuto, Memory Loss, Octo Expansion DLC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29944299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denizen_of_Dreamland/pseuds/Denizen_of_Dreamland
Summary: There were only three things Rumi knew for sure.One, she had just woken up in a place she didn’t recognize, with a pulsing headache and no weapons in sight, and she had virtually no recollection of who she was, aside from her name.Two, there was a strange Inkling staring right at her, who introduced themself as Takuto Maruki. He was a dork. Probably not a threat.Three, this whole situation was fishy as it could be -- but she had no option other than to accept a truce if she wanted a chance at survival.
Relationships: Maruki Takuto/Rumi
Kudos: 3





	Once an Unwitting Test Subject, Always an Unwitting Test Subject

The only thing Rumi remembered was her name. Nothing more, nothing less.

As she began to regain control over all of her senses, becoming aware of her environment, of the fact that she was laying on her stomach with pain coursing all through her body, of the cold surface pressed against her limbs, of the metallic odor in the air that made it hard to breathe, only her memories remained blank, leaving her picture of the world around her incomplete. She scrunched her brows, sucking in a breath, as she racked her brain for any hints of who she was, but her mind drew a blank. Her past, her history, her friends and family, maybe even her entire personality… They were all gone. Just like that.

Rumi let out a shaky breath, prying her eyes open as she fought the sickly feeling in her body. Whoever had been standing uncomfortably close to her quickly jumped back in surprise.

“O-Oh, uh…!” A voice she didn’t recognize blurted out. “You’re awake!”

Rumi propped herself up on her hands, squinting at the figure in front of her. As it came into focus, it took the shape of a young Inkling with short wavy tentacles and large, oval-shaped brown eyes hidden behind a pair of almost comically huge glasses. They were wearing a blue shirt, beige pants, and a lab coat, but, much to Rumi’s amusement, their footwear consisted only of a pair of sandals that no one in their right mind would ever wear in public.

“I won’t hurt you, I promise.” The Inkling said, holding their hands out as they took a step backwards. “It seems like we’ve both lost our weapons, and I would never harm someone who can’t defend themselves, so no need to worry. Are you alright?”

Rumi blinked a few times, trying to ignore the pulsing headache blurring her thoughts, and mumbled, “Where am I…?”

The Inkling furrowed their brows and shook their head. “I wish I knew that myself… Last thing I remember, we were in Octo Valley, but we were suddenly attacked out of the blue and I’m not sure where we ended up.”

Coming across an Inkling in Octo Valley was a rare occurrence, if not a near impossible one, as it was a place brimming with Octarians of all shapes and sizes, who were hostile to any Inkling who dared to venture too far out from Inkopolis Plaza. There was no reason why one of them, especially one as innocent-looking as this one, would get out there on their own and begin wandering around that area without any protection, despite being an easy target to the vicious Octarians waiting behind every wall to pounce on their prey.

“Octo Valley?” Rumi said. “What was an Inkling like you doing there?”

The Inkling’s eyes shot wide open. “Huh?!” They physically backed away as if Rumi had tried to stab them on the chest. “You don’t remember me…?”

Rumi shook her head. If she could barely remember herself, how was she supposed to remember some random Inkling, let alone why they were in Octo Valley?

She let a smile creep into her face, amused by their reaction. “Sorry, I must’ve hit my head pretty hard, haha. Care to give me a refresher?”

“Well, uh…” The Inkling scratched the back of their head, averting their gaze. “We were fighting…”

“We?”

“You and me.”

“Wait, what?” This time, it was Rumi’s turn to be surprised, as she perked up, her eyes widening. “Why are you being so friendly, then?”

Octolings and Inklings didn’t get along with each other; that was just the natural order of things. Rumi had been ready to adopt the theory that this particular Inkling was just too dumb or too ignorant to realize they were talking to their natural predator, but, given that the two of them had been quarrelling earlier, they seemed to be well aware of the fact that Rumi wasn’t meant to be their friend or ally. But then… why were they helping her? It would’ve been easier to strike while she was down.

“We might be on opposing sides of a conflict, but that doesn’t mean I want you to get hurt.” They said, voice oozing with concern. “In fact, I’d love it if us Inklings and Octarians could resolve our differences peacefully, but, unfortunately, that isn’t always possible, given the mind control that has ruled over your lives for so long...”

The Inkling’s tone and expression suddenly took on a determined stance, as they palmed their fist and said, “We will have to work together if we want to make it to the surface. Do we have a truce?”

Rumi squinted, as she placed her hand over her forehead and shook her head to snap herself to full attention. The idea of having to work alongside an Inkling, the exact same kind of creature she had been trained to kill all her life, was baffling, but she had to admit they did have a point. Neither of them knew what this place was, how they had gotten here, or how to get out, so it was easier to put their differences aside, if only momentarily, until they could find answers and an exit. Rumi didn’t need any more problems than she already had, having lost her memories and all, so no good could come out of antagonizing this well-meaning Inkling, who would’ve currently had the upper hand in combat just by virtue of being sound of mind and body. It was the bare minimum, but it still provided them with a slight advantage over her, so she couldn’t afford to take that risk.

“Okay, you’re right.” She said, blinking again as if to remind herself that this wasn’t a dream. “But first… who the shell are you?”

“Ah, where are my manners?” The Inkling straightened up with a military salute, clicking their heels together with a cocky smile on their face. “Takuto Maruki, agent 2 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, at your service! I use he/they pronouns.”

Rumi smirked, giving him a once over. “You don’t look like much of a fighter.”

Maruki’s smile only widened with pride. “Inconspicuous, right? Oh, let me help you up!”

They stepped forward and held out a hand, but Rumi gently rejected their help and stood up on her own. No matter how weak and innocent he looked, Maruki would have to work to earn her trust just like anyone else, especially since he was an Inkling  _ and _ some sort of secret agent, apparently.

Rumi extended her hand towards him. “Call me Agent 8. She/her pronouns.”

“Huh…?” Maruki deflated a bit. “Uh… Agent…? Agent…?”

Not ready to give out her actual name, Rumi shot them a sharp gaze, as she kept her hand held forward, which caused them to compose and correct themself. “A-Ah, Agent 8, of course.” He forced an awkward smile. “Alright, I see. Agent 8, that’s a good code name.” He shook her hand. “I look forward to working with you!”

Rumi flashed them a bright smile, squeezing their hand in encouragement, and nodded. “Likewise, 2. Now, let’s go!” Without any notice, she turned around and ran towards the nearby subway platform, ready to jump right into her next adventure. “I won’t wait for you, so you better keep up~”

Maruki did a double take, but he grinned in response and followed in her footsteps, almost tripping on his way out. Rumi couldn’t help but giggle at his adorable expression as he picked himself up, looking up at her apologetically.

As she kept moving forward with a fond smile on her face, Rumi began to consider that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t as awful of a situation as it would seem. She might’ve just been unrealistically optimistic -- but she wanted to think that, maybe, getting lost with a companion, even if they were an Inkling, was better than getting lost alone.

In any case, Rumi was nothing if not optimistic and starved of companionship, so... Sure, why not? She would let them stick around until she got her memories back. It would make for a nice change of pace, if nothing else.

**Author's Note:**

> Not much to say about this one; just a quick little fic to celebrate the Splatoon 3 announcement! :D
> 
> I absolutely love the Octo Expansion and I always liked the idea of an unexpected romance blooming in the Deepsea Metro, so I thought it would be nice to insert Takurumi into this scenario. I also saw he/they Maruki in a fic I read and I loved that headcanon, so I just had to include it here in celebration of non-binary Inklings!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you think! :)
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://denizen-of-dreamland.tumblr.com)


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